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The rise, fall, and redemption of the doctor behind America’s first public school for mentally disabled people

A Perfect Turmoil

From the moment he became superintendent of the nation’s oldest public school for intellectually and developmentally disabled children in 1887 until his death in 1924, Dr. Walter E. Fernald led a wholesale transformation of our understanding of disabilities in ways that continue to influence our views today. How did the man who designed the first special education class in America, shaped the laws of entire nations, and developed innovative medical treatments for the disabled slip from idealism into the throes of eugenics before emerging as an opponent of mass institutionalization?

Based on a decade of research, A Perfect Turmoil is the story of a doctor, educator, and policymaker who was unafraid to reverse course when convinced by the evidence, even if it meant going up against some of the most powerful forces of his time.

In this landmark work, Alex Green has drawn upon extensive, largely unexamined archives to unearth the hidden story of one of America’s largely forgotten, but most complex, conflicted, and significant figures.

Advance Praise for A Perfect Turmoil

  • “America has a tragic history of mistreating the intellectually and developmentally disabled, full of Dickensian institutions, barbaric procedures, and malevolent eugenic programs. Much of it remains untold. Alex Green has made an invaluable contribution to our knowledge of this history by tirelessly digging through the archives and eloquently telling the story of Walter E. Fernald.”

    —Adam Cohen, author of Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Bucksource

  • “A Perfect Turmoil is a riveting examination of not just the life of Fernald, but the rapidly changing political and social attitudes of his time. With a historian’s eye for detail and a novelist’s skill for storytelling, Green never loses sight of the mercy and humanity of his controversial subject, as he explores a lost chapter in American history that continues to shape our lives today.”

    —Ann Leary, NYT bestselling author of The Good House and I’ve Tried Being Nice

  • “Until recent years, disability rights were considered a secondary concern, even in the human rights community. The serious attention they deserve will be amplified by this superb book. Drawing skillfully on newly available material and highlighting the stories of persons who lived with disabilities, Green illuminates a history never told before. It is a gift to us all.”

    —William F. Schulz, former executive director of Amnesty International USA and author of Reversing the Rivers: A Memoir of History, Hope, and Human Rightssource

  • “Growing up in Waltham, Massachusetts, we kids were all afraid of the Fernald School. By shedding brilliant new light on the institution’s history and its namesake, by bearing witness to the horror, Green shows us a tortured past so that we can ensure that it never, ever repeats.”

    —Caroline Leavitt, author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder

  • “Rescuing Fernald’s story from obscurity, Green gives us insights into education, medicine, American eugenics, and disability over more than a century of transformation. From its beginning through to its blazing conclusion, A Perfect Turmoil is an impeccably researched and humane book that tells us so much about our eugenic, ableist, but still changeable present.”

    —Adam Rosenblatt, author of Cemetery Citizens: Reclaiming the Past and Working for Justice in American Burial Grounds

  • “Green’s meticulous investigative work has uncovered truths, abuses, and deeply personal stories of individuals held in state institutions, bringing their experiences to the forefront of public consciousness. His fearless advocacy and relentless pursuit of ongoing accountability have been pivotal in driving systemic change and justice.”

    —Kiva Centers Ally Award citation